Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) has disapproved of Chadema's move in pushing for the release of findings on external audit of the central bank's External Payments Account, saying it was not right.

Chadema national Chairman Freeman Mbowe on Tuesday called on the government to make public the BoT audit report, prepared by international audit firm Ernst and Young.

Mr Mbowe said by delaying the release of the findings the Government was not being fair to Tanzanians, "who want to know how their money was spent."

CCM secretariat head for Publicity and Ideology, Capt John Chiligati, yesterday said in a statement that the government was going through the BoT audit report and would release it as promised by President Jakaya Kikwete. "We implore the public to have patience while the government goes through the report. It is not right for some political parties at this time to start pushing the president to release the findings," a part of the statement reads.

"The public should trust in the good intentions of the president when he directed that an audit be conducted," the party statement insisted, affirming that with the same good intentions the president will release the audit report in due time.

He urged Tanzanians to refrain from forcing the hand of the president, since Mr Kikwete has the public interest at heart.

"He is a person who listens to people's opinion on issues," the party official emphasised, noting that "the president keeps his promises and so he does not need to be pushed by anybody or any political party."

Mr Chiligati stated that CCM believes that the government is still working on the BoT audit report and it will be released to the public in due time.

Chadema had on Tuesday wondered why the Government was delaying releasing the audit report.

"Why are they delaying making this report public? Are they trying to doctor its contents or what's going on?" Mr Mbowe had demanded..
Mr Mbowe said the preliminary report have it that about Sh800 billion was stashed away through external payment accounts during the past few years.

Reacting to recent remarks by finance minister Zakhia Meghji that the Government will choose what to inform the public, Mr Mbowe said: "The report belongs to the people of Tanzania and should not be censored by anybody."

He also warned the minister that she should let the public know what has been established on the central bank by international auditors, instead of saying she would select what to make public.

"The Government should understand that the stolen billions belong to the public, therefore they have a right to know from their minister what has been established by the auditors," he emphasised.

Mr Mbowe also questioned the Government's motives in taking the report to the Controller and Auditor General's Office saying such a move was ill conceived.

He also hinted that next year's 8th Sulivan Summit set for Arusha next year saying it aimed at plundering huge natural resources available in Africa under the umbrella of investments.

In most areas where the Sullivan group have invested, locals have been living in difficult conditions, causing chaos and bloody battles to control natural resources, the Chadema leader intoned.